HOMESTEAD LIFE: WINTER SOWING
Last year, I dipped my finger into the world of gardening. It’s pretty well know in my family that I’m just terrible at growing things. You know those people who can kill a cactus? Yeah, that’s me.
Well it turns out, I’m not so black-thumbed after all! I had a little bit of success last summer growing green beans and spinach.
So, if I had a little success with a few vegetables then I should obviously just dive in head first, right? I joined all the gardening groups on facebook, have pinned all the things and I’m just going for it!
Since Colorado has a really short growing season, our last freeze date is usually somewhere in mid-May, winter sowing is a really good way to get a head start on your seedlings without having to turn your home into a mini nursery.
So what exactly is winter sowing?
Winter sowing is a way to start your seedlings outside in the winter. You use “hardy” seeds that typically stay dormant during the winter time, therefore they aren’t effected by the freezing temperatures or snow. It’s a great way to get a head start on your garden, especially if you have a shorter grow season.
Using recycled containers (I use water jugs because we have them in plenty, but I’ve seen all kinds of containers used) you create a mini-greenhouse. You place the containers outside in the snow and freezing cold. I know this sounds completely opposite of everything that you know about growing seedlings, BUT here’s the cool things about winter sowing. As the weather begins to warm up, the seeds will begin to germinate at their own pace, just like they would in nature. How cool is that?
What do you need to get started?
Not alot! You need some type of plastic container. I prefer using water/milk jugs because they are easy to carry and fit well together. The container just needs to be something that you can poke holes in the bottom of for drainage and have some openings at the top (whether it’s the spout of the water jug or a lid that you’ve drilled holes into) for snow to seep into the plant.
You need a good quality potting soil and you need seeds! You want to look for seeds that are known to be “cold hardy.” If you aren’t sure what plants those are, look for verbiage like “self sowing, direct sow outside, cold stratification or cold hardy.”
I’ve made a little video of how I created my miniature greenhouse containers for you below!
What are some of the benefits of winter sowing?
1.) It’s a great way to start seedlings without having them over take your home. Once you’ve put the containers together, they go outside and they stay outside.
2.) You don’t need special equipment.
3.) You don’t have to worry about hardening off the seedlings because they are already growing outside.
4.) You typically end up with really hardy plants.
The question I’ve gotten the most about my little mini greenhouses is, “What do you do after you put them outside?” The answer is NOTHING! You literally let mother nature do it’s work.
The picture above on the left is the day that I put my mini greenhouses out. The picture on the left is what it has pretty much looked like since then. In a few weeks, as the weather warms up, I fully expect to start seeing some sprouting and we can’t wait!